Indoor VS Outdoor: Differences in Cannabis Grow

Welcome to everyone, new and very affectionate readers of Annibale Seedshop, in this new exciting chapter dedicated to the differences between Indoor vs Outdoor in a Cannabis Cultivation. It might seem trivial to most growers, but deciding properly where and how to grow your beloved plants can lead to the success or failure of the entire Marijuana crop. Let’s find out now which solution is best for you!

Indoor VS Outdoor: Cannabis Environmental parameters

Environmental parameters in cannabis cultivation play a fundamental role in the correct development of plants. In fact, they will have different needs, depending on the genetic quality that is being cultivated, and consequently each will respond to a specific cultivation environment.

This is perhaps the parameter that most differs indoor cannabis crops from outdoor ones: outside the home we will not be able to change the amount of hours of light or predict the weather. Whether you grow Marijuana indoors or outdoors, we will have to take specific measures based on the chosen growth habitat.

Now we are going to analyze both environmental parameters of cultivation, bearing in mind that there is no better cultivation habitat between Indoor or Outdoor, but only the one that best suits the different needs of growers, knowing that both have a list of pros and cons that they can vary from case to case.

Environmental parameters in indoor cultivation

The environmental parameter in an indoor cultivation is almost the same from house to house, from growbox to growbox. It also leaps to the eyes of the less experienced how much easier it is to keep the parameters of the surrounding environment under control in an Indoor cultivation compared to, as mentioned above, an Outdoor Cannabis cultivation. This is in fact almost impossible in an Outdoor Marijuana grow.

Depending on the genetics selected in your growing space, and the life span in which your plants are, you will have to keep the environment in a range of 18 ° – 30 ° C of ambient temperature, with an elative humidity that should not never exceed 60%, except in the early stages of Germination and Flowering.

If you are new to Cannabis cultivation, Indoor cultivation is certainly more suitable than cultivation in full ground Outdoor: you will be able to analyze your plants more easily and better in order to understand them faster!

Environmental parameters in outdoor crops

As anticipated, the environmental parameters between Indoor and Outdoor probably represent the main big difference between one type of cultivation and another, precisely because in Outdoor crops, atmospheric and meteorological conditions cannot be remedied.

You will therefore have to choose a cannabis variety that can easily be grown outdoors, as you can easily find it on our site in the “Outdoor” category.

Annibale Seedshop’s Team recommends choosing a variety that is resistant even to Nordic temperatures, in case you run in a bad summer season!

Indoor VS Outdoor: Light

Light is a fundamental parameter, as explained in our article on “Light & Cannabis“. In fact, without proper lighting, Marijuana plants could not grow well and abundant enough to achieve a satisfying harvest.

To this day, sunlight is the best light you can use if you are looking for the best quality Marijuana. Its cons is that a cloudy day is enough to prevent the correct assimilation of lumens.

On the other hand, as we will see shortly, man has managed to invent over the years growing lamps that are increasingly technologically advanced and that could, if not equal, get very close to the quality of sunlight itself. As we saw in the last article “Indoor Growing Lamps”, a good range of types of grow lamps have been invented and continue to be updated, each with different characteristics for different stages of plant growth.

Indoor light

Exactly as mentioned, indoor light still fails to match or surpass sunlight in terms of flower quality. Indoor cannabis grow lights consist of a wide range of different rays and spectra, separated by type of lamp. The rays present in these lamps are not sufficient to cover the entire needs that the cannabis plant needs to develop at its best.

The only exceptions to classic grow lamps are recent LED technologies: they are the ones that come closest to the light quality observed in the sun. This is explained by the simple fact that the light spectra are better distributed since the LED grow lamp is a series of low energy consumption and high efficiency micro-bulbs in one and only structure containing a wide range of UV rays. B which facilitate the development of new trichomes.

Outdoor light

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is His Majesty the Sun King!

Oh yes, that’s it. There is nothing better than cannabis grown under full Mediterranean sun. This is because the sun contains a wide and abundant range of solar rays that vary from season to season, managing to guarantee the plant the full spectrum of colors that most need it for proper chlorophyll photosynthesis.

Unfortunately, however, unlike indoor crops, clouds and bad weather are not predictable, nor at least programmable. You will have to carefully choose the type of plant you want to grow outdoors, preferably trying to select plants with a strong Landrace line still present in their ancestors.

Today’s new cannabis hybrids would never withstand an unusual June hail without stopping from stress, wasting at least two weeks of time!

Indoor VS Outdoor: Cannabis Nourishment

This is a parameter that can often coincide between the two habitats: despite having grown in full earth, in fact, Cannabis can easily draw nourishment from most of the substrates present in nature.

What is certain is that you will still have to pay particular attention to the characteristics of the substratum in which you want to cultivate, since an inadequate Ph or a poorly draining (or too compact) soil could cause your plants to die!

Indoor Marijuana Nutrition

For the nourishment of Cannabis plants in indoor cultivation, you will have to proceed with caution. 90% of the crops are grown in pots, while only the remaining 10% usually takes place in hydroponic and aeroponic systems. This is because the latter are more complex cultivation systems than simple pots with substrate, and require much more knowledge and maintenance of the cultivation habitat in order to obtain a satisfactory result!

If you have purchased a pre-fertilized substrate, in most cases it will certainly be good for the entire life cycle of your autoflowering cannabis plants. But if you have not purchased a pre-fertilized substrate, or are growing photoperiod cannabis strains, you will need to buy a good range of fertilizers (Organic or Mineral) that can provide the complete nutritional needs of Marijuana plants throughout their entire life cycle.

Nutrition in outdoor Hemp crops

It follows as for Indoor crops, but using a specific fertilizer for Outdoor (possibly Organic, and only mineral or Biomineral if necessary). You will have to pay close attention to any symptoms that plants exhibit in their leaves and stems.

If the cannabis plant suffers from nutritional deficiencies or over-fertilization stress problems, in 95% of cases it will manifest its symptoms on the main leaves.

The Outdoor season indicated for the cultivation of Marijuana is summer, reminding you that a natural flush occurs towards the end of flowering, in the months between September, October and November, where the autumn rains and the cold lead to a cleansing of the roots from the nutrients. in excess and a formation of trichomes that can hardly occur in indoor crops. Not to mention the wonderful changing colors with the arrival of low winter temperatures!

Indoor VS Outdoor: Molds and Parasites

Molds and pests can be a serious problem for cannabis growers: from the most experienced to the newbies, from home growers to the most daring who grows outside the home, everyone hates having to throw away their entire crop because they discover on the day of cutting that the the whole plant is rotten or infested with aphids.

If you think you are taking risks, visit our “Care and Prevention” page to find out which product might be right for you and buy it conveniently from here!

Infestations in indoor cannabis crops

Have you ever carried out an intensive Sea Of Green cultivation before, only to realize at the last moment that a plant placed at the last inside the growbox had entirely infested the others? if yes, it is a common episode that you will soon learn to fight and, above all, prevent.

Neem oil can be a valid solution both to cure an infested Cannabis plant, but even more so to prevent any future diseases and infestation problems. It is not a phytotoxic product and is 100% Organic, suitable for nebulized even in the last weeks of flowering without affecting the taste of the flowers.

It is always advisable not to spray the Marijuana plant in the last 2-3 weeks of flowering, both to avoid the risk of ruining the terpene profile of the flowers, but also to avoid mold problems!

Having molds like Botrytis and others present in an Indoor Cannabis cultivation is always dangerous due to a possible rapidity in its spread. always where it found “fertile ground”.

Infestations in Outdoor Marijuana crops

Paradoxically, while there is nothing you can do about the weather, you are less likely to find full infestations or molds in outdoor cannabis crops than in indoor ones. This is because nature seems to have its own precise balance.

Good cannabis grower practice will be to check your plants frequently. If you find mold inside your buds, select the part to be eliminated plus the part bordering the mold to be sure to eliminate any pathogens left inside the flowers.

Immediately throw away any infected part of your plants, cutting very gently in order to avoid any spreading of harmful spores on the surface of nearby flowers.

Pros and cons of growing cannabis indoor

Trying to summarize what are the advantages and disadvantages of an indoor cultivation, an exhaustive list will follow that will help the user understand which type of cultivation is best for him!

10 Advantages of Indoor Cultivation

• There is the possibility to manage the various environmental parameters such as humidity and temperature
• Marijuana plants can be observed more quickly and better than in Outdoor plots
• Ability to trace problems faster than in outdoor crops
• You can change the cycle of hours of light when you want, independently managing the vegetative phase and the flowering phase
• Safer and more stable results can be obtained
• There is no presence of wild animals that can destroy the crop
• There is no chance that a bad weather can suddenly destroy your plants
• However, the quality of the flowers remains very high, and in the market it can cost much more than the Outdoor quality
• You can decide the entire timing of cultivation, being able to cultivate practically any type of genetics present in the world
• There is no risk that someone will steal your plants, or that you will know that you are growing Marijuana, ensuring that you keep a low profile.

5 Disadvantages of Indoor Grow

• Growing cannabis indoors comes at a cost
• Indoor cultivation has its own risk
• It takes a dedicated and controlled space to be able to grow plants
• The light quality of grow lights does not match that of the sun
• Crops cannot compete in terms of quantity

Pros and cons of growing cannabis outdoors

As for the cultivation of Indoor Hemp, a list of advantages and disadvantages of Outdoor cultivation will follow.

10 Advantages of Outdoor Cultivation

• Growing cannabis outdoors pays off: no electricity bill!
• Growing Cannabis Outdoors allows you to grow in Guerrilla: no more anxiety problems when the plants are not on your soil!
• You will get the highest quality in Marijuana buds
• The best flush is always the autumn rain that can wash the flowers from dirt and any insects, cleaning the roots from fertilizer waste
• In the Outdoor you can get real “Giant Beasts”!
• It will be enough to cultivate a single plant to be able to produce a crop that satisfies the needs of an entire year
• It does not need the same maintenance as indoor crops
• You can take advantage of the rains to not waste time irrigating the cannabis plants
• You can grow as many plants as you want, as there are no space limits in nature!
• This always remains the preferred option for commercial growers who have the option of being able to grow outdoors

5 Disadvantages of Outdoor Grow

• As widely said in advance, it will not be possible to intervene on environmental parameters. The risk of infestations and mold remains, albeit minimal, around the corner!
• Strangers could see the plants and steal them, or even call the police and warn of the presence of illicit plants (option more than possible if they are grown in countries where Cannabis is illegal and fought like the rest of the substances: we at Annibale Seedshop’s team do not recommend strongly to violate the laws in force in your countries)
• The presence of animals is a very problem: in fact, there are many wild animals that love to eat hemp, being attracted by the pungent smell characteristic of the grass
• If the Ph of the Outdoor substrate is not optimal, it could prevent the correct absorption of the nutrients that the Marijuana plants require, with a consequent loss of money in higher quantities of fertilizers, or slowdowns in the growth of the plants themselves.
• It will not be possible to decide on the life times of the plant: the Hemp plants will in fact begin to bloom based on the hours of light they receive, in nature towards the end of July – beginning of August.

Final Indoor vs Outdoor Grow Tips

Choose well where you want to grow your plants, and once you have analyzed all the pros and cons of the various habitats, choose the Cannabis genetics that can most be attributed to that type of cultivation.

Indoor VS Outdoor remains a main chapter in our Cannabis cultivation manual by Annibale Seedshop, come back and look at it again when you might need it most!

And that’s all for today, after seen the main differences between Indoor VS Outdoor, keep following us in our next article to find out more about “Indica VS Sativa”!

Gretings from Annibale Seedshop Team!

Davide, CEO Founder & Genetist